Learning European Portuguese can be a rewarding but challenging journey, especially with the specificities of its pronunciation and grammar. Luckily, there are numerous apps that can assist you in mastering this beautiful language. Below are five of the best apps to help you learn European Portuguese, ranging from vocabulary-building tools to comprehensive courses. It’s going to take a lot of time and dedication to take your European Portuguese skills to the next level, but these apps have got you covered.
1. Practice Portuguese
One of the standout apps for learning European Portuguese is Practice Portuguese. This platform is specifically tailored to the nuances of Portuguese spoken in Portugal, making it an invaluable resource for serious learners. What sets it apart is the high-quality content that truly immerses you in the language. You’ll find video clips from native speakers, “smart review” flashcards helping you practice thousands of words and phrases through spaced repetition, and audio and video episodes with transcripts that scroll as you listen.
You download the Practice Portuguese app for free and access hundreds of audio shorts, videos, and podcasts. However, if you want to access Premium features, it will cost you €15 per month (register through the website) or €153 per year. Please note that you should register first through the website and then access the app, as purchasing Premium through the app is €21.99 per month and doesn’t offer the option to buy an annual subscription.
2. Memrise
Another excellent app to consider is Memrise. Memrise is unique in that it provides multiple levels for European Portuguese, focusing primarily on vocabulary and useful phrases. Like Practice Portuguese, it also makes use of spaced repetition, which helps you retain words and expressions over the long term.
What’s especially helpful for European Portuguese learners is that Memrise includes courses specifically for this dialect, unlike many other apps that mix Brazilian Portuguese into the lessons. However, it’s important to note that Memrise doesn’t go too deeply into grammar, so it’s more of a vocabulary-building tool. For a deeper understanding of sentence structure and grammar rules, you might want to pair Memrise with an app like Michel Thomas or additional resources like grammar books.
The app is free, though it does offer a pro version with added features such as access to AI buddies, unlimited conversation practice, and access to all vocabulary lessons. Upgrading to pro will cost €24.99 monthly or €41.99 annually (note that these prices are subject to change depending on current sales). Overall, Memrise is an effective app to build your Portuguese word bank quickly.
3. Pimsleur
For those looking to improve their conversational skills, Pimsleur is an excellent option. The app is known for its focus on listening and speaking, and it’s designed to help you learn through conversation. One downside, however, is that Pimsleur only offers one level for European Portuguese, which can be limiting for learners looking for long-term study.
Pimsleur is also audio-based, meaning there is little focus on reading or writing skills. However, if you’re looking to improve your listening comprehension and spoken Portuguese, especially for real-life situations, Pimsleur can be highly effective.
4. LingQ
LingQ is a great app for those who prefer learning through reading and immersion in authentic content. LingQ allows you to access materials like articles, podcasts, and videos in European Portuguese, making it easier for learners to immerse themselves in the language. It has a library of content across various levels, so whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, you can find suitable materials.
What makes LingQ stand out is the ability to create your own vocabulary lists from the content you’re reading and save flashcards for later review. If you enjoy learning by engaging with real-world content, LingQ is a powerful tool for improving your comprehension and vocabulary in a natural way.
5. Reverso
Reverso is an exceptional app for learners of European Portuguese, especially for those looking to enhance their vocabulary and understanding of context. It serves primarily as a translation and contextual dictionary tool and allows users to input words or phrases and see how they are used in real sentences. This feature is particularly beneficial for understanding nuances in Portuguese, as it provides multiple examples of words in different contexts, whether you’re dealing with casual speech, formal language, or specialized terminology. For learners of European Portuguese, this contextual understanding is invaluable, as the app also highlights the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese where relevant. Reverso helps you understand how they function within the structure of the language, which is key to becoming fluent.
In addition to being a translation tool, Reverso includes a built-in flashcard feature that makes it a fantastic resource for reinforcing what you’ve learned. You can easily save words and phrases from the app’s translations to create flashcards for regular review. Using spaced repetition, Reverso helps you remember vocabulary in the long term, and the app automatically tracks your progress to ensure that you are continually building on what you’ve already mastered. This makes Reverso a powerful standalone tool for European Portuguese learners, particularly for those who like to learn vocabulary through practical, real-world usage.
6. Drops
Drops is a visually engaging and user-friendly app that makes learning European Portuguese an enjoyable experience. The app focuses on helping users quickly build vocabulary through short, game-like sessions that only take five minutes a day. The bite-sized lessons are designed to keep you focused and engaged without feeling overwhelming, which makes it easy to stick to a daily learning routine. One of the most appealing aspects of Drops is its use of beautiful visuals to teach words and phrases, which helps learners form strong associations between the vocabulary and its meaning. This method makes it particularly effective for beginners looking to build a solid foundation in European Portuguese without getting bogged down by complex grammar rules early on.
Another key strength of Drops is that it specifically distinguishes between European and Brazilian Portuguese, ensuring that you are learning the correct pronunciation and vocabulary for the dialect you’re aiming to master. This is a big plus for learners who want to focus on European Portuguese, as many language apps tend to default to the Brazilian variant. While the app emphasizes vocabulary acquisition, it also helps with pronunciation by providing audio from native speakers, which is essential for mastering the unique sounds of European Portuguese. Although Drops doesn’t dive deeply into grammar, it’s an excellent supplementary tool for vocabulary building. You can also find Portuguese dramas that you can watch to help you get familiar with the language, use Drop’s Premium listening test feature to test your listening comprehension, or listen to European Portuguese music.
For Drops Premium, please refer to the following prices below
7. LingoClip
LingoClip is a unique and highly engaging app that offers learners the chance to improve their European Portuguese by using one of the most enjoyable learning tools—music. By integrating popular songs from Portuguese-speaking artists, LingoClip helps users practice listening and pronunciation in an immersive, entertaining way. The app allows you to follow along with the lyrics as the song plays, providing translations and helping you understand the meaning behind the words. This method is especially useful for getting accustomed to natural speech patterns, accents, and colloquial phrases, which are often difficult to grasp through traditional learning methods. For learners of European Portuguese, this exposure to real language in a musical format helps train the ear to the dialect’s specific sounds.
Additionally, LingoClip encourages active participation by offering various exercises based on the songs, such as fill-in-the-blank activities where users must complete lyrics as they listen, improving both vocabulary and comprehension. The app also provides the opportunity to save certain phrases or vocabulary you want to review later, which makes it easy to incorporate new words into your language-learning routine. By using music as a tool, LingoClip makes learning European Portuguese more enjoyable and helps learners memorize and retain words through the catchy repetition of song lyrics. This combination of language and music offers a dynamic way to enhance listening skills while enjoying Portugal’s musical culture.
You can listen to three songs a day for free or pay €4.99 per month to play thousands of lyrics without waiting, translate any word or sentence without limits, and get full access to your vocabulary and activity log. For an annual subscription, it’s €29.99.
Final Thoughts
Each of these apps offers something valuable for learners of European Portuguese. Practice Portuguese stands out for its comprehensive and tailored approach, while Memrise is a great tool for building vocabulary. LingQ helps with language immersion through real-world content. Drops is one of our favorites because it reinforces vocabulary with memorable drawings and visuals in a fun and competitive way, although it doesn’t help so much with sentence structure. If you’re a music fan, LingoClip might just be your best bet.
With these apps in your toolkit, you can approach learning European Portuguese with confidence and variety, making your language learning journey both effective and enjoyable.
